Trivia

It's far too hot to blog.  The heat has affected my brain, so here's something I picked up from a Facebook status today, just to keep you amused.

Things you may not know  (I can't vouch for the accuracy of these statements by the way)

 A rat can last longer without water than a camel.

Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks or it will ...

digest itself.

The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle.

A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and
down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate.

Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

A 2 X 4 is really 1-1/2" by 3-1/2".

During the chariot scene in "Ben Hur," a small red car can be seen
in the distance (and Heston's wearing a watch).

On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily!
(That explains a few mysteries....)

Sherlock Holmes NEVER said, "Elementary, my dear Watson."

Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

The number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per
side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000.

There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange,
purple and silver.

Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space
because passing wind in a spacesuit damages them.

The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin in World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

Weatherman Willard Scott was the first Ronald McDonald.

If one places a tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion, it will
instantly go mad and sting itself to death. (Who was the sadist who
discovered this??)

Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to s-l-o-w film down
so you could see his moves. That's the opposite of the norm.

The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in
the USA."

The original name for butterfly was flutterby.

The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which
stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player
for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.

Roses may be red, but violets are indeed violet.

By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot
sink into quicksand.

Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a
piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.

Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin
look-alike contest.

An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman
to take more than three steps backwards while dancing!

The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book
most often stolen from public libraries.

The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

Bats always turn left when exiting a cave!

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Men can read smaller print then women can; women can hear better.

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace.


Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.

Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the "honeymoon".

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them, "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."

It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.


~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~


At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow.

Oh for some English weather!

I know those of you living in the UK are not going to agree with me.  You'll probably say I should think myself lucky to be living in this climate, when you're all waiting and hoping that you will actually get some kind of summer this year.  

But I have to own up to not being a hot weather person.  I moved to Turkey 15 years ago for love, not the weather.  I do love Spring and Autumn here though.  Temperatures around 20 degrees, cool enough at night to snuggle up under the duvet.  This is my perfect weather.

Today it's 36 degrees here in this village.  Not only that, we have almost gale force winds, which means that dust is flying everywhere.  It's impossible to have doors and windows open for air because the air is just too hot.    We are due a heatwave this week, someone mentioned that the temperatures are set to rise to 40 degrees.   I'd be tempted to spend the day under a cold shower...if we didn't have constant water cuts.  Another thing which is normal during the summer months.

July and August will be hotter still.   I won't be venturing far.  I don't relish the thought of waiting around for buses in this heat.  I should be used to it by now, but I'm not.

If there was a sun-worshipper out there, in the UK,  or even the North Pole, who wanted to swap places with me for the rest of the summer, I'd be very tempted to say yes.   But I'd miss Mr A and the dogs wouldn't I?

Roll on Winter.

A New Blog

Some of you may recall that I have been involved with the Turkish Animal Group (T.A.G) for a few years, and you know how much I admire the work being carried out by Karen and the TAG team, in rescuing the street dogs of Turkey.

Karen asked me if I would start a new blog for TAG, and I'm happy to help.  It is still very much a work in progress, as I have to gather together pictures, information and stories of the many dogs in the shelter at the moment.  I will also be posting some success stories...dogs that have had such a bad start in life but have ended up in loving homes both in Turkey, Europe and the UK.

There will be some sad stories too, but thanks to Karen, these will undoubtedly have happy endings.

I've just published my first post.  There's still a lot to be done, but here is the link in case any of you want to follow THE TAG BLOG

Thankyou.

(Dog) Friends Reunited

I've not been entirely happy about keeping my dogs separate from each other.  My dream was to have four obedient dogs, in my garden and on my balcony, playing happily together.   Well, these things are always perfect in dreams aren't they?

The reality is that Sammy digs holes in the garden, Blondie chews everything in sight...shoes, sofas, etc, and Megan....  Well Megan is so obedient now.  She was the biter, but that has stopped.  She does exactly as I tell her, and she's adorable.  It's simply because she has more contact with me.

I know that Sammy and Blondie also need more human contact.  I feel certain they will end up as obedient and lovable as Megan if they spend more time with me.

For the past month or so we have been saving up to have a metal fence and gate made to separate the driveway from the bottom garden.  This part of the garden is Mr A's pride and joy.  It's looking lovely and has stirred up an interest in the garden for me which was previously lacking.  Yesterday the fence was installed.    I love it.  We are now saving to have a similar one erected at the top end of the garden, where the cats reside in the chicken coop, and where we are growing tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

This morning, the side gate to the dog area at the back of the house was opened.  Megan was reunited with Sammy and Blondie.  I know all three run up the hill together twice a day, but it's somehow different for them in the confines of the garden.  We had half an hour of play fighting, about the same amount of time with all three jumping all over me, but finally they settled down.  Poppy watched on from the balcony.  She is used to Megan being around, but it's a bit overwhelming with three.  She will get used to it.

 The side gate remains open, and all three can come and go as they please....and Mr A's precious garden is an animal-free zone (apart from the two tortoises, but they're no trouble!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Busman's holiday....

...well not busman exactly, but vet.   At the hotel where Mr A is working, there are a group of 65

student vets on holiday for two weeks.  They are all about to graduate in July, and are letting their hair down after all their studying.

Mr A has been chatting to them about our dogs.  Some of them are particularly interested in the plight of the street animals in Turkey, and are talking about maybe doing some voluntary work with neutering programmes here in the future, once they have started their careers after their graduation.  We do get newly qualified vets here from European countries from time to time, who go out into the towns and villages and help with mass neutering.  It's good practical experience for them, and helps a great deal with the problem here.

He happened to mention the problem Megan has at the moment with her legs.  She limps most days.  It's not always the same leg.  It can be any of them, and I have examined them carefully and there don't appear to be any broken bones.  Being an arthritis sufferer myself I recognise the signs in Megan.  Stiffness when she gets up, but improvement with exercise.  She is rather young to have arthritis, but then her first year on the streets has probably prematurely aged her.

One of the student vets at the hotel, Sarah, phoned me yesterday and we chatted for about half an hour about Megan's symptoms.  She agrees with me that it sounds very much like arthritis.  She says I am doing all the right things, ie giving her Rimadyl for short periods, daily glucosamine and fish oil capsules, and massaging her legs.  She also recommends swimming, and if Mr A can find time we may try to take her to the sea.  Maybe we'll take all four dogs...hmm that will be fun!

Sarah has given me her email address and has said that if I want to contact her at any time with any questions she will be happy to help, and if she can't she will find answers for me.  Of course I am happy with our vet Mehmet, but sometimes there can be misunderstandings with the language difference.  So it will be good to get another opinion, and thorough information in the future.

Shortly after she phoned, one of her fellow students, Sophie,  phoned me to say that Mr A had mentioned my home town in England, and it transpires that she lives just a few miles away.  So she and I have also exchanged email addresses, and she is also very happy for me to contact her for advice.

Mr A says they are a lovely group of young people, and I am certainly grateful for two of them taking time out from their holiday to talk to me.   I hope they enjoy the rest of their stay here and wish them all good luck for the future.

Food glorious food!

Shopping for food when Mr A is away working through the summer is quite a problem for me.  I have to do it in several trips into Milas on the dolmus.  I can't carry too much because it plays havoc with the arthritis in my hands.  

I usually wait until Mr A can get home for a night, and he shops on the way here.  He hasn't been able to get home much just lately.  He plans for a certain day and then he becomes busier than he predicted, so he can't get away.

Last Saturday I did a food shop in Milas and even though I didn't get everything I needed, I still bought far too much.  Getting off the dolmus and climbing the hill to the house with heavy bags in this heat is a nightmare.  I've often said that when I die it will most likely be half way up the hill, surrounded by bags of shopping.

After a couple of days expecting Mr A to come home, he finally made it last night.  I would prefer to go shopping myself.  I have a list, but sometimes I substitute items.  But I sent Mr A a list and he shopped on the way home.  There are problems with Mr A and shopping.  He buys more than I ask him for.  For example, I asked for two small pieces of steak, which I know would cost around 10 lira maximum.  He bought more than a kilo, which cost 37 lira.  He also forgets things on the list.  Last night three items were forgotten...but that's actually pretty good for him.   And he breaks eggs...but only two were broken last night, which isn't too bad by his standards.

But I'm not complaining because he does his best and I can't ask for more than that.

For me there is something very reassuring about a full fridge, freezer and store cupboard.   I get more pleasure from unpacking the bags and looking at the contents than I do eating them.  I actually get quite anxious when the cupboard is bare.  I think this may be something from my childhood, where although we always had enough to eat, there was just not enough money for anything special.  My Mum would shop every day for what was essential.  Those were the days before big supermarkets.  People didn't really do big shopping trips then.

There are so many different attitudes towards food these days.  I know people who stock up on far too much and then it get's thrown away.  I hate food to be wasted.  I will make a meal out of scraps and leftovers.  There are others who buy the bare minimum.

How often do you shop for food?  Do you buy too much, sufficient for your needs, or not enough?

Dursune's Donkey

When I got up at 5.30 this morning to feed my dogs, I glanced over into Dursune's garden and saw a mule.  Quite a lovely looking animal.  He must have arrived sometime last night.

Dursune's donkey is quite old.  She is also very ill.  According to Dursune, the donkey has cancer and won't live much longer.  There is apparently nothing more that can be done for her.

I have known this for a few months and have watched the rapid deterioration of this once sturdy and healthy animal with great sadness.  Both for the donkey and Dursune.  She has always taken great care of her animals and it was awful for her that she had to give up her cows last year because she is also becoming frail, and she just couldn't manage them anymore.

She's a stubborn woman, and very independent.  I know there are neighbours who would have helped with milking the cows, but with Dursune it's her way or not at all.

The donkey is no longer used for carrying things for her mistress.  This is quite unusual here.  There is no sentimentality for these animals who are invariably worked to the limit until they drop dead.

Dursune's donkey now spends her days in a garden just below Dursune's house which has lots of trees for shelter.   She is fed, loved and cared for.   She doesn't appear to be suffering, and I hope that she doesn't reach a point where she is, because Dursune's religion would not allow her to have her euthanized.  I sincerely hope that she dies peacefully in her sleep. 

When Dursune got up this morning I admired her mule.   She had to have him to work for her, she says, as the donkey is on her way out....she says this as she gently pats the donkey on the head.

The mule is lucky to have Dursune as his mistress.  He'll have a much better life than so many others.

Blogger's block

It happens to all of us from time to time.  We want to write a blog post, because we love blogging, but our minds just go blank. 

This is how I feel at the moment.  The dogs are fine (apart from Megan and an arthritic limp).  The weather is glorious.  The garden is looking wonderful.  Mr A is working over in Gumbet and getting home as much as he can, which isn't often.  I'm fine, apart from being almost completely nocturnal.  There are a lot of street dog gangs roaming the village at night.  They head up this way and my dogs bark to scare them off.  It doesn't work...they still hang around.  I give up trying to sleep through it, so nap during the afternoon when it's too hot to do anything else.

Elsewhere in Turkey there is civil unrest.  It seems to be escalating.  No doubt most of you will have seen it on the news.  Here there is an almost total media blackout.  What does manage to get reported is not always accurate.  I could do a blog post about it all, but I'd only be repeating what other bloggers in Turkey are saying. In case you want to know more, this article in The Guardian is pretty balanced:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/03/taksim-square-istanbul-turkey-protest

It might as well be another world, because it doesn't touch this isolated village.  Life continues as normal, with villagers completely unaware of what's going on.  Probably just as well. 

So that's it really.  Nothing else to say.   Maybe something exciting will happen in the next few days which will give me something to write about.  In the meantime, here is one of my favourite pieces of classical music, played here with original instruments.

The one-eyed shepherd

I did a post once about Sultan the shepherdess, but I didn't mention another shepherd who takes his flock up the hill behind our house to graze.

I don't know his name.  He is a small wiry man who has sight only in one eye. His wife is very big, twice his size, and she seems to henpeck him somewhat.  She walks behind the flock shouting orders to the shepherd, until they get to our lane, then he takes over and she returns home...he seems to give a huge sigh of relief at this point.

 He has had a series of dogs over the years to help him herd his sheep.    Since we moved here I often  give him biscuits for them, and bones when Mr A brings them from the butcher shop.  At the moment he brings just one dog with him, a kangal mix, who appears to have no interest in controlling the sheep.  The sheep wander off in all directions and the dog just glances at them and does nothing.  He's actually taken quite a shine to Poppy, and is more interested in sniffing her through our gate, which is even more of a distraction.

The shepherd normally passes between 5.30 and 6.00am at this time of year.  Sultan follows about half an hour later from the other direction.  Sometimes they arrive at the same time and the sheep get mixed up and confused (actually I think sheep always seem confused).  Not that it matters of course, because they all have ID clips in their ears, so get sorted out later.   They  all return a couple of hours later and repeat the performance early evening.

I'm usually up feeding my dogs around this time in the morning, so I make sure I don't let them out for a run until the sheep have passed.  Last evening when the shepherd passed by he stopped to talk to me.  I have so little confidence in my ability to understand this language, and to be honest the village dialect doesn't help me to grasp what's being said.   I get the gist of it, and after the conversation has ended, I try to re-run it in my mind in the hope that I've understood.

He was saying something about letting my dogs out for a run, but I couldn't make out whether he was telling me I should or shouldn't do so.   This morning after my dogs had been fed I opened the gate and let them out.  Just at that point the shepherd, sheep and the useless sheepdog arrived.  The shepherd smiled, and I did my best to concentrate on what he said, which was that I should let them run with him, the sheep and his dog, and he would bring them back 2 hours later.

Wonderful!  Last night I had no sleep because there were dogs barking all over the village, and mine insisted on joining in.  I so envy the Turks who seem to be able to sleep through any amount of noise.  I can hear a dog barking miles away and I'm wide awake. So I was pleased at the prospect of going back to bed for a couple of hours and a bit of peace and quiet.

It didn't quite work out though, as my three returned 15 minutes later.  I guess they are getting so used to their home comforts that they don't want to be away from them for too long!  Maybe we'll try again later.

No sleep for me, but I am feeling much better today and my appetite has returned.  The stomach bug seems to have crawled away so I'm heading off to Milas this morning for a bit of shopping and a Lavazzo coffee.  If I can stay awake!

Car Rental in Turkey

There are many car rental companies in Turkey.  It's essential to be careful when renting cars.  You need to make sure you are dealing with a reputable company, and cost is also important.  Today, I am going to talk about a car rental  platform called Otorento.com. 

Otorento.com is the largest car rental network including more than 700 locations in Turkey. If you are either visiting touristic destinations such as Bodrum, Dalaman, Antalya or Cappadocia or visiting financial and industrial centres such as Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir,  Adana or Gaziantep. Wherever you need a rental car, they are all around.

They have very good prices compared to the other car rental agencies. For example, you may find a car for a daily rental of 20 EUR in Sabiha Gokcen Airport Car Rental or Bodrum Airport Car Rental which is almost 50% less compared to others. Since the platform is open to different local companies, the prices are going down because of the competition between these suppliers.

I have questioned the quality of  service as well. They are working with the leading local suppliers to achieve improved  quality standard which they call Rentoquality. They are monitoring the services of all suppliers to ensure that they  achieve these quality standards. They are also getting  feedback from customers to  improve service.

They are also unique in terms of some features. For example, what you see on Otorento.com is what you get. In many car rental agencies that I have experienced before, you will just choose a car group and you will never know which car will be provided. This is not the case in Otorento.com. What you see as the car to be rented on your screen will be provided to you. Even better, you are able to decide on the colour of the car.

Otorento.com is providing you the platform to see all your options in a certain location with only one click. You just enter where and when you would like to pick up and drop off the car and they do the rest for you. Just click on the right car for you and it is yours for that period of time.

I would strongly recommend you check Otorento.com if you are visiting Turkey and need a car. I have also put their banner on my blog so that you will be able to easily check it.

........................................................

 

This is a sponsored post for which I have been paid.  I will only ever accept sponsored posts from reputable companies that I have checked.

The payment will go to my "dog fund" to help with feeding my four rescue dogs.

OK let's start again

I was awake at around 4am.  In fact I had been awake on and off all night.  I decided to pass the time by writing a blog post.  It took quite some time.  Then I deleted it.

Why?  Because it was so gloomy.  I am depressed.  I am ill again.  Having had a nasty bout of flu as I left England on 30th April, followed by a day or so of feeling OK, I had what appeared to be tonsillitis.  That cleared up, then three days ago I started having stomach cramps, diarrhoea, feeling sick, loss of appetite.   I still have this bloody bug, but I am feeling better this afternoon.

I'm not one to generally wallow in self-pity but in the early hours of this morning I was feeling distinctly sorry for myself.  I've more or less been alone throughout this month of sickness, and I don't like it.  We all need to have someone to look after us when we feel unwell.  It's not possible for me at the moment.

So you think those first three paragraphs were gloomy?  You should have seen the original post!  But that's where the self-pity ends.

I have been cheering myself up today with videos on Youtube.  Trips down memory lane.  I was reminded of something my daughter told me recently.  She loves music.  She has a very eclectic taste. Anything from Frank Sinatra to The Beatles, The Who, Oasis, classical music.   Oh lots of stuff from way back to the present time.  She told me that her music of choice for doing housework to is Fleetwood Mac.  I can understand that perfectly, because I also play Fleetwood Mac  when I'm doing housework.

I don't feel much like doing housework today, but I have been playing a Fleetwood Mac cd just to get me in the mood.

And on my trip around Youtube last night, I indulged in a bit of 80s Bowie.

Another perfect track to help you through housework, don't you think?

Dog videos

Mr A came home last night and as usual we were up very early to feed the dogs and let them out for a run.  Mr A has an iPhone so was able to do a couple of videos of the dogs for me, which I thought you might like to see:

 

 

 

 

Excuse Mr A's spelling of Megan's name..he must have been thinking of the car with the same name!  He attempted a video inside the dog area but they were too excited and wouldn't keep still, so he had to shoot it from the other side of the fence.